


Night out! (or how should I spend Friday night in my bed)

by TessiePessie



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drunk Night, F/M, Gale is very drunk, One Shot, and Madge just want to be in her bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-04-30 12:08:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14496663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TessiePessie/pseuds/TessiePessie
Summary: Madge is that kind of girl who prefers to go to the library rather than a party. Of those who enjoy spending time with themselves than with others. That's why he knows that going out on a Friday night guided by Katniss is not the brightest idea in the world.





	1. Friday night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [acoolgirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/acoolgirl/gifts).



> So, this is my first fic in english with this couple. I wanted to give it a try and thanks to @acoolgirl (YES, the author of Petroleum) this is possible. So, kudos to her!

It seemed that it was an awful idea to come to this place. 

It’s smelled like cigarettes and alcohol, the music was too loud and she couldn’t even think clearly. 

What she really wanted was a lonely and quiet night in the dorm she shared with Katniss; recover strength for the next monday, and sleep as much as she could. 

She'll never know how Katniss did it to convince her, coming to these kinds of places was not her thing, but here she was. In a bar with drunk people who couldn’t walk a steady step, and sneaky college students who were enjoying every dark corner. Or not so dark, like the couple beside Madge, who were kissing so passionately, that his tongue was probably in her throat. Suddenly, the taste of her coke was like vomit. Where the fuck was Katniss again? She had lost the sight of her so-called best friend the moment they had stepped into the local bar.

This was enough. She will finish her coke (because she overpaid for it and it would be a waste of money) and then she will leave without Katniss noticing.

But her plan is ruined when someone sees her and begins walking straight to her (well, as straight as his shaking legs allowed it). 

Madge turns her face to the bar and smiles at the bartender, hoping that he would made small talk, but there is the _pat pat_ on her shoulder and _oh-god-why-did-I-leave-the-dorm_ as she turns around to face Gale Hawthorne. If the bar could make a perfume of what it smelt like, than it was as if he had used the whole bottle on himself tonight. Her nose aches and she has to take a step away from him without making it too obvious.

“Looook whos h’err,” the words are stumbling out of his mouth and Madge has to pay extra attention while she smiles back, trying to look less awkward than she feels. She wants to leave. Badly. _“Miss per-feshion bring her per-feshion h’err!”_

He’s talking very loudly and is very close to her; apparently, personal space is not something that drunk people know.

Gale Hawthorne is not known for be that kind of person who approaches someone for a friendly talk. Actually, if you ask to Madge, Gale is anything but friendly. To her at least. And that’s why it’s extremely weird that he is now, smiling at her. There were like, a hundred of pretty girls dancing alone and drinking, definitely more open than Madge, but here he was, trying to talk to her. He’s here to mock her, probably. 

_Oh how she hates the alcohol._

“Charming _as always._ ” she says tightly, before the the bartender behind her asks if she needs anything, and even though it would be great to make a scene and say that the guy beside her was annoying her, that only would worsen things between them, and like it or not, he was Katniss’ friend. So she asks for a beer. She could definitely use the alcohol now.

“You don’t lie to me, Miss. I’m not char-min, not to you. Why nah? You funny aaand smart. Why don’ we talk?”

Suddenly, he pulls her to him and Gale is hugging her very tightly. Her arms fall dead at her side and far away Katniss is smiling and clapping with a stunned Finnick and Johanna at her side. _What is going on here!?_

Who knew that drunk Gale could be so affectionate? Still, the hug was too long and was beginning to make her uncomfortable. So, as gently as she could, she puts a hand on his chest and tries to get out of the embrace. He smiles at and let’s Madge go. Looking at his face, she can see how his eyes are glowing and he is fighting back another smile. 

“What’s so funny Gale?” Madge ask in annoyance. 

“Looking at you, _Miss. Perfect._ Here at the bar.” Gale chuckles.

_Oh, how she hates that stupid nickname._

Since her first year in college everyone seemed to think that her life was perfect. Good grades, good family, fancy clothes and a nice car. That’s why they started calling her that, and by they, she meant Gale, and after him everyone thought it was a great nickname. 

She’s not perfect; her family is a mess with a mother who’s always sick and a father who is never there for dinner, and if she doesn’t have good grades she’ll probably have a huge freak out. She has before. Her parents have so many expectations for her, and she doesn't know how to tell them that she choose a major in music and education. She wants to be a teacher, not a politician.

She’s not perfect and she’s going to prove it.

So she drinks her beer quickly and then his drink too, and whatever was in his cup, it wasn’t water. 

Holding Gale’s hand, Madge takes a few steps to the dancefloor.

_This is a really, really bad idea._

But here she is, and she wants to prove that she can be that kind of girl who wears a short sparkly dress on a Friday night.

“Whad’re you doin’?” Gale says loud enough to be heard with the music.

“We are going to dance because I’m fun, and that’s what fun girls do.”

And dance they did. 

After a few songs, Madges stop scaring about how she moves her feet or if she is embarrassing herself and against all odds, she’s actually enjoying the music and finds herself smiling. If she’s looking ridiculous, Gale doesn’t seem to care because he is probably too drunk to notice it.

At some point, Gale puts his hands on her waist and Madge holds her hands around his neck. It’s seems like the correct move and she knows that their proximity should bother her, because he still smells pretty badly and his forehead is against hers, but it’s probably the alcohol in her veins that screams _I really don’t care._ Probably.

Gale is so handsome and right now, she can only look into his eyes.

“Why don’-why don’ we talk?” Gale says with a bit of sadness in his voice.

“Why don’t you talk to me, Gale?” Says Madge perplexed. 

“Becau’ you look scary.”

She’s not scary! She is small (she knows that and can live with it) and yes, she can become angry easily, but she’s not scary and the whole idea of someone like her can be scary to someone like Gale makes her laugh really hard. 

So she laughs, and maybe she is a bit drunk because his smile makes her feel _funny._

They are not dancing anymore, and he is so close that she can see every freckle on his nose. She want to do something, say something, but maybe if she does, the spell would break and she likes be like this close to Gale, because he is a decent guy who cares about Katniss even when they are not family but he treat her like she is, and he is always talking about his siblings, too proud of them, and proud of his mom too. He’s gentle and kind, and as far she knows, he’s never hurt any girl (not on purpose at least).

So when he leans in, she does too, closing her eyes and waiting for his next move.

“Madge, I’m sorry but I really feel no’ well.”

And trying to get away from her, he threw up right next to her feet.

Yes, she should have spent the night in her bedroom.


	2. What a hangover may do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He remembered a few things of last night. He remembered that he drank too much. He remembered Madge, beautiful and smart Madge and then... he remembered how he made a fool of himself in front of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I guess that with this chapter we end this story. (I guess)  
> @acoolgirl was really nice and she do the beta for this chapter (like the chapter one). Such a nice girl and I'll be always grateful for her help, also it's her birthday so... congratulations!!  
> I hope you enjoy this hangover Gale.

That morning, Gale wakes up with a hangover and a head full of regrets. Maybe he should stop with the drinking for a while. Still, he doesn’t remember how he came to bed, or how he got out of the club. Actually, he didn’t remember a lot of things.

But he remembered blond hair, bright blue eyes and a sweet smile. _Oh._

Yes, he _remembered things now_. Like how he had made a fool of himself in front of the pretty girl that he’d been hitting on since he met her in her sophomore year without results. She made him so nervous that he didn’t know how to act around her... and finally last night he had the courage to talk to her and his drunk self ruined everything.

Shit. She will probably never talk to him again.

Katniss will kick his ass.

It takes him half an hour to get out of bed, but he finally gets his feet to the kitchen where Finnick pours himself a cup of hot coffee and watches Gale with an amused smile.

“So, what do you remember of last night?” Finnick asks, approaching him a glass of water.

“Shut up. I’ll prefer if I didn’t remember” Gale grumbles.

“Then I guess that you remember that she help you to get to your bed?” Finnick says smugly.

_Hell no._ The last thing that he remembers is he puking besides her expensive shoes and her disgusted gaze. So...why would she help him to get back to his apartment? Weird, but on the bright side, he now owes her a dinner, or brunch, or something for being so nice with him when obviously she had a bad time. Now he has the chance to amend things and maybe his drunk self is not as stupid as he thought. Maybe.

Finnick seems have caught his thought train because he runs to bring Gale’s phone. He probably took it away when he got to the apartment and Madge left; that way Finnick kept him from calling her and being even more embarrassed. It wouldn’t be the first time that happened, and now it is more or less a rule. Do not let Gale use his cell phone when he is drunk.

When he calls to Katniss, she sounds angry and sleepy

“What’s going on, dumbass?” she said. Charming.

“Is Madge with you?” _cool, cool. Be cool._

“Yes, but she is sleeping. What do you want?”

“I want to ask her out and apologize for my _stupid_ behavior from last night,” on the other side of the line there is only silence for a while.  
“Ok… she’ll probably wake up in an hour, so hurry up and make yourself presentable”

And then, she cuts the call. What a practical woman. Maybe that was the reason they were friends.

But now the clock was running and in an hour he has to get the hangover out of his system and smell like he didn’t sleep on the bar floor. Let the games begin.

The water was cold, probably because they forgot to pay the gas of this month. Still, it helps him wake up and be more alert. Once he’s out of the shower, he swims in his closet to find the clothes that his mom bought him and he never wears. Now is a good time to look like that kind of guy who spent their sunday morning in brunchs and reading the _Great Gatsby._

Finnick laughs at him from the couch. 

“You really must like Madge,” Finnick grins.

Yes, he really likes her. She is pretty but that not the best part. She is smart too, hella smart. She knows a bunch of random stuff that always makes him perplexed and not only fun facts of a science topic or a political topic, no… she had the more weird knowledge of comics, and literature, and history, like _“one could believe that the black panther movement was born by the comic, or vice versa, but in reality it was a mere coincidence. Both came to light only months apart.”_ Yes, that was hot.

And she didn’t tolerate the crap of anyone. Week after they met each other, Gale learnt he shouldn’t mess with her. She may look naive, but she was fierce. She had a smart mouth and more than once she left some asshole finding words to attack back.

She was perfect, and he was afraid that when he got his chance with her, he would screw it up. Just like last night.

But then he remembers her eyes, how bright and blue they were, and how she had looked at him. She didn’t look at him with disgust, there was something else there, something that screamed at him that it was the right time to play his card. 

He wonders if she noticed that he looked at her like she hung the sun. 

It takes him fifteen minute to find the courage to knock the door of Madge and Katniss dorm. His friend is the one who opens the door and gives him an approval nod after she shouts for Madge because _someone is looking for her._

When she appears, she has messy hair that she quickly tries to fix. She’s wearing an oversized pants and a polo. Probably planned to spend her day in bed binge watching that Tina Fey show that she really enjoyed. She didn’t look very happy when she saw him, more awkward than nothing, or nervous. She bites her lower lips and doesn’t look at his face directly; apparently, the floor is very interesting.

“Do you need something?” she finally asks.

“Yes. I mean, not exactly. I wanted to know how are you.” _be cool, be cool, be cool._

“I’m fine. I slept good. How are you?” She’s so polite…

“Fine, fine. Better than last night,” _boom,_ her eyes are on him now, curious. “I wanted to say sorry too. As far I remember, I did some stupid things last night.” more than one. His first mistake was go to the bar.

“And you said some stuff too… do you remember that?”

_Wait what?_

He remembered walking to her, talking to each other, but not what. She looked annoyed and then grabbed his hand and lead him to the dance floor. She drank his vodka too. Then they were dancing and she smiled at him. He wanted to kiss her _so badly_ and they were close, so close… and the he did the awful thing and woke up in his bed. 

_What did he tell her? _/__

__“You said that I was funny and smart… and that you were scared of me”_ _

__Yes, he was. But not anymore._ _

__That’s why he takes her hand in his. She’s cold, and he’s probably sweating because he is so nervous right now. Her eyes are big and sparkly when he fixes his gaze on her. He is on the cliff now, he should jump. He should do it, but what if he is wrong? What if she said that she didn’t want nothing with him? What if she screamed at him? Maybe she took pity on him and that’s why she helped him to get to his apartment. But she intertwines her fingers with his and he smiled. She is smiling too._ _

__“You are, you are funny and smart, and even scary but in a good way. That’s why I wanted to ask you to go in a date. To start fresh and apologize for last night.”_ _

__“You wanted?” she asks quietly._ _

__“I want to, I really, really want… but that depends on you.” she looks radiants now. _She’s so pretty.__ _

__“That would be a good apology. What about tomorrow? Coffee?”_ _

__“Yes, perfect. Coffee then… at 5?”_ _

__She doesn’t say anything, just nods at him, and then she kisses his cheek close enough to his lips that he can smell her hair, _strawberry._ She closes the door and probably said goodbye, but his brain is not working, there’s only white noise and he can’t believe that she said yes._ _

__Finnick wouldn’t believe it._ _

__Because yes, he finally got the date with his dream girl._ _

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked it Kudos and a review would be awesome! (and you can find me on tumblr as TessiePessie or Anotherdayblue)


End file.
